Piedmont 2010 elections annulled for 'fake signatures'

Repeat expected in May

(ANSA) - Rome, February 12 - Elections won by the
anti-immigrant Northern League in the northwestern Piedmont
region in 2010 will have to be repeated after Italy's top
administrative court said they were illegitimate because of fake
signatures filed for winner Roberto Cota.

The centre-left Democratic Party (PD), Italy's biggest
party, said it would press for the vote to take place along with
European Parliament elections on May 24-25.

"Finally justice has been done after a long, tough battle"
said PD former governor Mercedes Bresso, who lost by the
narrowest of margins to Cota to give the League an almost clean
sweep of the wealthy northern regions in 2010, apart from
Liguria to the west.

Cota called the ruling by the Council of State "a disgrace"
and "the death of democracy".

"We won in 2010 and we'll win again," he predicted amid
polls suggesting a PD-led coalition is ahead of one featuring
the League with the key support of charismatic ex-premier Silvio
Berlusconi.

League leader Matteo Salvini vowed: "we will win against
snobbish Turin and the banks".

Former Turin mayor Sergio Chiamparino said he would run,
saying he was "not afraid of anything", while Bresso said she
would not stand in his way.

The Council of State rejected Cota's appeal against a lower
court's ruling Tuesday night after a supporter was convicted of
filing bogus signatures on a small list backing the League
bigwig four years ago.